Patricia wrote: > I can knit and have done so since my teen years but I find crochet difficult. > It isn't that I don't understand as I do and it is simple. The problem lies > in how I have to hold my hands to crochet; it causes problems for them and did > so long before I developed arthritis in my hands and wrists. I think it is > keeping the fingers close together as you hold hook in one hand and work in > the other. Making buttonhole edges on knitting with a crochet hook is much > easier as there is a whole lot of work to hold on to.
I found it impossible to knit and do crochet when I developed rheumatoid arthritis. I tried all sorts of things over several years and can now knit with bamboo needles (circular needles just don't work for me) and I can crochet with Clover Soft Touch crochet hooks. The flat pad means you don't have to worry about the hook rotating and it's thick enough and soft enough to be comfortable. I've tried various types of hook, but only Clover Soft Touch work for me. I've been collecting the materials together to make a misers purse (stainless steel ear stretchers for pierced ears are available in a variety of diameters and eminently suitable for the sliding rings), but I've found that I can't crochet with silk. There's something wrong about the feel that makes it impossible. Feels as if my fingers are tangling. I'm fine with the same thickness of cotton. So it might be worth trying different hooks and threads if you really want to crochet. Any thread is fine for lacemaking because I'm not touching the threads and can move the bobbins by the spangles - there are no lace police. It's that or don't make lace. Jean in Poole, Dorset, UK - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
